Poland plans to cut GMOs in animal feed

The Polish agriculture ministry is working on a bill to reduce genetically modified soy in livestock feed.

Photo: ulleo/pixabay.com/CC0 Creative Commons

One of the key goals of proposed changes in the law is to boost the domestic production of crops with high protein content.

“At present, there is no [non-GMO] equivalent to genetically engineered soybean meal in Europe,” said Adam Tański, head of the Grain and Feed Chamber.

EU member states import over 30 million tons of soy and soybean meal annually, 90 percent of which is genetically engineered, according to the European Commission.

Meanwhile, 70 percent of animal feed in Poland is based on genetically modified soybean meal, Tański said, expressing hope that the new bill would help reduce Poland’s reliance on the product in the future.

Poland wants to tap into domestic high-protein sources to supply half the domestic demand by 2024.

Poland is among the first countries in Europe working on a policy to reduce GMO content in animal feed.

The European Commission is to present plans for cutting modified feed by the end of the year.

In October 2015, the European Parliament's environment committee rejected a proposal to allow individual member states to ban trade in and use of biotech food and animal feed, citing the EU's free movement of goods principle. (aba/pk)